On the Job 

The new Bureau of Criminal Investigation facility in Northwest Ohio will open Nov. 10 on the Bowling Green State University campus.

BCI has deployed five 3D laser scanners around the state to help investigators better document complex crime scenes. Each scanner sits on a tripod and rotates 360 degrees, taking millions of precise laser measurements and hundreds of digital photos. The result is a video that can carry viewers — including investigators, prosecutors, and jurors — through a crime scene.

Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office is expanding its work with law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim advocates under a new Elder Justice Initiative that will increase the investigation and prosecution of elder abuse cases and improve victims’ access to services.

Ohio’s criminal justice community and the field of forensic science both stand to gain with the opening of the Attorney General’s new Bureau of Criminal Investigation facility in Northwest Ohio later this year.

The new Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Science, which we are creating in conjunction with the nearly complete Bureau of Criminal Investigation facility at Bowling Green State University, will have a direct and timely impact on Ohio law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and citizens.

OHLEG’s facial recognition system helped Akron police detectives Jim Pasheilich and Aron Hanlon identify a suspect within hours of a January murder and robbery. The next day, they had the man in custody and secured information on two other suspects.

The Ohio Attorney General’s 2014 Law Enforcement Conference features an emphasis on crimes against older adults, including a special track of workshops and a general-session presentation. Set for Oct. 28–29 at the Hyatt Regency Columbus, the conference also offers top-notch speakers, the Distinguished Law Enforcement Awards Luncheon, and 30 workshops.

Less than 54 hours after a 13-year-old girl was raped while waiting for her school bus in April, the BCI lab in London — which offered to expedite testing in the case — notified Columbus police of a CODIS hit linking evidence from the crime to a known offender. That same day, SWAT officers arrested the suspect at his home within a mile of the bus stop. He is charged with three counts of rape and one count of kidnapping.

On the Attorney General’s role in school safety
 
I want to stress that our children are generally very safe at school. But we need to take seriously our role not only in reacting to school crises when they do occur, but in prevention and recovery. The Attorney General has a statutory role under Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.536 to collect school safety and floor plans from all public, private, charter, and vocational schools as well as preschools with kindergartens — more than 4,300 schools statewide — and make them available to law enforcement in an emergency. Schools upload these plans through their Ohio Department of Education Web portal to the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway. The office urges law enforcement, fire departments, school officials, and other partners to work together to develop plans unique to each school and community.

A recap of TDIM 2014
 
A mother who channeled her grief into helping other crime victims was among those honored at the Ohio Attorney General’s 2014 Two Days in May Conference, which drew nearly 1,000 victim advocates for presentations, workshops, and networking. Next year’s conference is May 4–5, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.